Abstract
Purpose :
Current literature on student authorship in research utilizes the H-index (Hi), a measure of scholarly impact. We sought to analyze student authorship rates over time and the effect of student authorship on scholarly impact in a major academic ophthalmology journal.
Methods :
We compared the Hi of all unique corresponding authors (CA) for manuscripts published in Ophthalmology (journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology) over time (2008, 2012, 2016). We further grouped published articles into those with student authors (SA) and those without (nSA). Articles with SA were further categorized as to whether or not the SA was a first or second author on the article. Hi of CAs were identified based upon Scopus determinations. The median and mean Hi, standard deviation, and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were compared between groups and over time.
Results :
The number of SA increased from 180 to 203, while the SA as first or second author increased from 20 in 2008 to 74 in 2016. Mean Hi was higher for CAs that published with SA versus CA that did not publish with SA for each year evaluated (2008: 46.4±31.4 vs. 34.1±23.7, P=0.0003; 2012: 33.4±23.4 vs. 26.7±21.1, P= 0.02; 2016: 28.9±19.9 vs. 26.5± 20.8, P=0.27). Median Hi for CAs with SA was greater than the median Hi for CA without SA was for each year evaluated, (2008: 42 vs 28, 2012: 29.5 vs 23, 2016: 27 vs 22.5).
Conclusions :
The number of student authors published in Ophthalmology is increasing. This is without detriment to the scholarly advancement of corresponding authors, while positively impacting students. Development of programs to better integrate students into ophthalmologic research early on may encourage their pursuit of a career in ophthalmology while advancing the careers of their mentors.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.